1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to filling systems for packaging machines. Specifically, the present invention relates to a filling system for filling particulates into a carton being conveyed on a form, fill and seal packaging machine.
2. Description of the Related Art
Packaging machines are known that integrate into a single unit the various components necessary to form a container, fill the container with a liquid product, and seal the container. Such packaging machines typically feed carton blanks into the machine, seal the bottoms of the cartons, fill the cartons with a product dispensed from a product storage tank, seal the tops of the cartons, and off-load the filled cartons for shipping.
A popular type of carton is an Extended Shelf Life ("ESL") carton due to the added value such a carton presents to a retailer. For example, pasteurized milk processed and packaged under typical conditions has a shelf life at four degrees Celsius of seven to fourteen days while the same milk processed and packaged under ESL conditions has a shelf life of fourteen to thirty days. Under ESL conditions, juice may have a shelf life of forty to one hundred twenty days, liquid eggs sixty to ninety days, and egg nog forty-five to sixty days. Thus, ESL packaging greatly enhances a product since it extends the time period that the particular product may be offered for sale to the consuming public. An ESL carton is the final component of an ESL system that entails ESL processing and ESL filling. In order to have ESL filling, the filling system should be kept sterile in order to prevent contamination of the product or carton during filling on a form, fill and seal package machine.
Recently, the packaging of soups in cartons has become popular in the food industry. In order to have soup cartons with an extended shelf life, the sealing of the carton must be tight. The dripping of soup onto the seal area of a carton will have an adverse effect on the seal, thereby rendering the product defective. One major cause of dripping is the lack of proper closure between a nozzle and a fill pipe. The improper closure arises from particulates in the soup preventing full closure.
Another problem with filling liquid products having particulates, such as soup, is providing an even distribution of particulates throughout the liquid portion. Without overcoming this problem, each carton would have a different quantity of particulates to liquid.